Collies as family dogs?

[weaselwords]

My friend has taken her gsd x husky back to the rescue she got it from three months ago, as it bit a 12yr old friend of her son on the lip. Dog was hot, she was preparing it's food and the kid surprised it, so she can see why it happened but couldn't have the dog around her children of 9 and 12 yrs.

The family is now bereft without a dog. They had all completely fallen for him and just loved having a dog and the lifestyle. So they are cautiously looking for another.

My friend really likes collies, but I always thought them high maintenance and a bit nippy . I do not mean to offend any ardent collie fans, so would you recommend them to my friend?

I have a collie off a farm and I also have a 2 yo (almost 3) and a 6mo. He is a brill dog with my kids. We love walking him and training him rain or shine.

No idea how to get DH to change his mind - could you just smuggle one in and pretend it was there all along. I do this regularly with "fosters" many of which stay for ever a long time.

Joking aside though you can guarantee that getting another collie will add more behaviours to work through rather than the collies learning the correct behaviour from each other.

Looks sternly at the two collies that have taught each other how to lift off the electric fence to the sheep and then herd them into the yard every morning

God I know so much about the encouraging the wrong behaviours in one another, my first two were right little buggers :o the younger one pined so much for the other when she died too. I lost them both in less than two years. It's been horrible really. Maybe I should stop at one
Maybe my husband is right
Maybe it is me rather than my lovely.dog (she's beautiful you know, people stop and ask me what breed she is every time we leave the house)

I've got a collie, he was 'free to good home' at 15 months, his owners had 2 kids under 5 and could not handle him. Never bit anyone, they just could not give him what he needed. I got him neutered, it made zero difference, although I didn't do it for that, just saying. I would tell your friend not to get one. I love my dog but he takes a hell of a lot of work to be happy.

He needs to think as well as have at least 2 one hour long walks a day, and it's a challenge to find him stuff to do. He herds the cat, so at least he's gainfully employed.

He's tuned in to my 10 year old son, so if my son's excited, the collie's singing and dancing too. He knows every person's name and the name of every toy. He'll find, fetch, leave, and take named stuff to named people. He's trained to within an inch of his life, does agility and it's still not enough for him.

He can be reactive on walks to certain dogs and woe betide me if I don't call him back in time when he sees an enemy, he'll have a go. Never hurt another dog, but oh my, the flashing teeth and the fury. I have to keep him under very close control. No restful family walks!

He's not nippy though. Reactive, yes, nippy, no. If I'm not constantly paying attention and giving him direction he becomes his own shepherd and decides what to do himself.

He's bonded with me and he's my dog. I can get him to do anything first time. Others, he'll do it, but in his own time. I'm his shepherd. If someone else brushes him he'll take the brush and bring it to me. This is a huge responsibility and somewhat wearing sometimes.

He's the best, and worst, dog I've ever had; he's diamond but he's not a family dog.

Kleptronic I grew up on a farm and we always had working collies. Your description sounds so familiar to me. When our dogs got bored they'd attack the sheep. Bloody awful. I still miss having collies around, they were just so smart and full of personality. Oh and collie pups are tiny, fluffy balls of love. Best things ever.

I love working dogs. First dog was a collie (30 years ago!) - now also have a GSD and a dobermann! I have never seen aggression from any of them towards me or my family - but agree with pp that it is a challenge to keep them entertained/exercised.

Working dogs make the best dogs (and in my opinion, great family dogs) - but having rescued one - I definitely wouldn't have them around children until fully rehabilitated.

Thanks Cadidog. Funnily enough I was told they got him as a pup from a farm in North Wales. It's good to have someone validate my experiences we had GSDs and Springers growing up, I took care of their walks and training as a teen, and although I logically knew what I was taking on in a collie, the emotional reality is so intense, sometimes I wonder if it's just my collie, or just me!

I don't really think so though. I think I've might have the epitome of the breed, the quiddity of collies, and others aren't quite so intense. He's sooo intelligent, has personality enough for 2.5 dogs, and is so terribly, absolutely in need of things to do. He's relentlessly collie.

That's the thing with them, OP. Your friend might get a, I hesitate to say chilled, because no collie is chilled, but a relatively laid back collie. I hear some people have had those! The trouble is, your friend might get one who does what is says on the tin.

They are bred to fixate on one person, and be tuned in to that person, and react when that person moves. My son can't go for a sudden wee without the collie dancing and singing - if the boy leaves it a bit too late, and is squirming and rushing, the collie reacts. I've trained him to 'watch me', and he tries, oh god he tries, but he's so torn. He has an imperative to watch the boy too! His job is to mind the smaller ones!!!

Fortunately my son's been around many dogs all his life (miniature Schnauzers are fairly bombproof, if yappy, as it happens) and we've been through the whys and wherefores of this behaviour, and so he does a swift walk with eyes down, arms by his side, resolutely ignoring the collie, but he's ten, and big for his age - an unknowing, unwary small child? I shudder to think.

Collies are bred to think, and work. They will work until they drop. They will think on their feet, even when you really don't want them to, because they were bred for the field, where they'd often have to decide stuff on their own, out of sight/earshot of the handler, especially in the hills.

None of that's good for a house, really, and that's why there are very many collies in rescues. Collies can be pets, oh yes, they most certainly can, if you are prepared to constantly manage their work

I told my friend about the resounding "No" from collie owners on here and she took it on board.

She's looking at lab and lab crosses now. We also noticed that all the golden retrievers we see are impeccably behaved, but she isn't keen on the hair and endless vacuuming. Although, she'd get that with a lab too, surely?

But, but, even a lab, a lab cross, a cavalier, a poodle, might be hot, she might be preparing it's food, and the kids may surprise it and it may bite a 12 year old. Is she going to rescue again? She may well get another that is reactive around it's food, even without the heat and surprise.

Sorry to be a misery guts, but breed doesn't make a difference to behaviour like that. And the 'impeccably behaved' G.Rets, are only because they have been well trained, not because of their breed. I've seen many that are far from impeccable.

We have an eleven year-old collie who is the nicest, calmest dog. He has grown up with our children and has never once in his life snapped, nipped or herded. On an average day, he doesn't get walked but is free to potter around at will. He is the best dog, but so untypically collie that we wouldn't get another for fear it would not match up.

What Aked said. This needs to be given more thought.

I'd advise your friend to read all of the Liam J Perk website before she gets another dog.

We have a Golden Retriever and have had her since a pup so before the miniPPs arrived. She's been good with the children. She wouldn't be bothered if the children disappeared tomorrow. She likes them but is totally not bothered. The minis are both under 4. I've set ground rules from the start - kids not left unsupervised, kids in a different room when fed, no touching sleeping dogs etc etc and as soon as the dogs look like they want out/away from the kids then out the room they go. We don't encourage the kids to overly interact with the dogs and that way the kids don't annoy the dogs. In fact it's visiting children that provide the most drama by literally smothering them tbh!

In terms of behaviour she is a very easy going dog but we have spent a lot of time training her. Recall was a massive issue and even now can be a problem occasionally.

The moulting can be horrific but manageable if regularly groomed or send to a groomer for a complete thorough brush out.

Goldies are allergy prone and have probs with itching but all breeds seem to have "something" that's negative.

Contraryish - I certainly think your collie is in the minority in terms of personality/behaviour. Like you say unlikely you'd get another to match.

We have a collie x springer (as a result of a farmer borrowing his neighbours sheepdog and not realising that it could climb out of the horsebox window!). He's fab, friendly and manic. We farm, so he has the space and stuff to do to keep him busy. He's very loyal to me (until the kids get home from school) and is a fun although fairly useless addition to the family, although is a bloody good mouser.
Much as I love him, there's no way I'd recommend him as a normal house dog in a town. He'd go crazy mad indoors all day.

Op, based on your last post perhaps your friend shouldn't have a dog? They are messy. You can't get away from it. I grumble to myself when I hoover and wipe down but don't mind it really. Labs moult really badly too.